Super Super Tuesday — Technician 2/27/20

TECHNICIAN F EB RU ARY 27, 2020

VOL . 100 | NO. 24

SUPER SUPER

TUESDAY

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FLOWER HOUR

BOTANICAL GARDENS IN BLOOM

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WHAT SEED?

WOMEN’S BASKETBALL BRACKET STILL UP IN THE AIR

See Page 10

OPINION

PLANT YOUR VOTE AT TALLEY

See Page 7

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Contents TECHNICIANONLINE.COM

THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 27, 2020

IN BRIEF:

POLICE BLOTTER

A quick look at the headlines outside of NC State

02/25/20

NEWS Coleman Simpson: candidate for student senate president, pg. 3

Joe Biden coming to Raleigh Saturday for campaign event This Saturday, Feb. 29, Democratic presidential candidate and former Vice President Joe Biden will visit Raleigh before heading to Columbia, South Carolina later in the day, according to The News & Observer. Biden will be visiting St. Augustine’s University, a private HBCU in Raleigh, and he’ll be speaking at Emery Gymnasium, 1315 Oakwood Ave. The event starts at 12:30 p.m., and doors will open at noon. Biden’s campaign said during the event, he “will lay out his vision for America and listen to voters’ concerns and ideas around restoring the soul of the nation, rebuilding the middle class, and unifying the country,” according to The N&O. Biden has been endorsed by several North Carolina officeholders, including North Carolina Democratic Rep. David Price.

OPINION

SOURCE: THE NEWS & OBSERVER

NC State students should practice voting in the primary, pg. 7

Supreme Court agrees to hear case on same-sex couples, foster care According to The New York Times, on Monday, the Supreme Court agreed to decide whether Philadelphia may exclude a Catholic agency, Catholic School Services, which does not work with same-sex couples from the city’s foster care system. The city stopped placing children with Catholic School Services after a 2018 article in The Philadelphia Inquirer outlined its policy against child placement with same-sex couples. The New York Times said Catholic School Services and several foster parents sued the city, claiming this violated their First Amendment right to religious freedom and free speech. A Philadelphia Court of Appeals ruled against the agency, saying the city was required to comply with its nondiscrimination policies. The court is likely to hear arguments in the fall following the start of the next term in October.

ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT Juniper Level Botanic Garden opens winter weekend, pg. 8

SOURCE: THE NEW YORK TIMES

Low risk for Coronavirus in North Carolina, state officials still preparing The News & Observer said there are no confirmed cases of coronavirus infection in North Carolina. State officials said residents should take “common-sense precautions” to prevent illnesses, and businesses should plan how to respond if employees have to stay home and care for sick relatives. Dr. Elizabeth Tilson, state health director and chief medical officer with the state Department of Health and Human Services, said North Carolina officials have been working for six weeks on plans for early detection and containment. Tilson also said the state is in close contact with the CDC and local public health departments, but said the risk for North Carolina is still considered to be “very low.” As of Tuesday, Feb. 25, the World Health Organization website reported more than 81,000 worldwide cases.

SPORTS Wolfpack facing third seed in NCAA tournament, pg. 10

SOURCE: THE NEWS & OBSERVER Editor-in-Chief Dan Gilliam

technician-editor@ncsu.edu

Managing Editor Rachael Davis

323 Witherspoon Student Center, NCSU Campus Box 7318, Raleigh, NC 27695 Editorial Advertising Fax Online

919-515-5017 919-515-2411 919-515-5133 technicianonline.com

Copy Desk Chief Ben Wolf

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Photo Editor Emma Sheppard

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technician-managingeditor@ncsu.edu

technician-news@ncsu.edu

technician-opinion@ncsu.edu

Opinion Editor Joseph Rivenbark

Assistant Photo Editor Ryan Farischon

Social Media Editor Lauren Greene

Assistant News Editor Riley Wolfram

Assistant Opinion Editor Caryl J. Espinoza Jaen

technician-video@ncsu.edu

Sports Editor Camden Speight

Assistant Video Editor Matt Norris

technician-digitalcontent@ncsu.edu

Assistant Social Media Editors Anderson Brewer Becca Dandeneau Social Media Analytics Manager Isaac Tolbert

News Editor Boz Kaloyanov

Design Editor Rafael Zingle

technician-design@ncsu.edu

Arts & Entertainment Editor Antonio Dinkens technician-features@ncsu.edu

technician-sports@ncsu.edu

Asst. Arts & Entertainment Editor Austin Dunlow

Assistant Sports Editors Jake Caccavaro Nicholas Schnittker

Video Editor Jaylan Harrington

2:27 PM | BREAKING & ENTERING Hudson Hall University police investigated a reported misdemeanor breaking & entering. Suspect has been identified. Warrants obtained and pending service.

2:27 PM | ASSAULT ON DISABLED PERSON Hudson Hall University police investigated a reported assault on a disabled person. Suspect has been identified.

Warrants obtained and pending service.

2:27 PM | FONDLING Hudson Hall University police investigated a reported fondling.

Suspect has been identified. Warrants obtained and pending service.

6:40 PM | LARCENY Faucette Dr. University police investigated a reported theft.

08/01/89 12/31/89 1:18 PM | STATUTORY RAPE Unknown Location on Campus University police received a report of a statutory rape that is alleged to have occurred in an unknown residence hall 30 years ago.

02/20/20 02/23/20 5:52 PM | LARCENY OF VEHICLE MRC Deck University police investigated a reported vehicle theft. (Update on 02/25/20 @ 6:57 AM... investigation revealed that no crime occurred and that vehicle in question was towed)

COVER GRAPHIC BY RAFAEL ZINGLE Student Government elections will be held Monday, March 2 and Tuesday, March 3, and the Democratic, Republican and Libertarian primaries will be held Tuesday, March 3.

Technician (USPS 455-050) is the largest student newspaper of NC State University and is published every Thursday throughout the academic year from August through May except during holidays and examination periods.

Opinions expressed in the columns, cartoons, photo illustrations and letters that appear on the Technician’s pages are the views of the individual writers and cartoonists. As a public forum for student expression, the students determine the content of the publication without prior review. To receive permission for reproduction, please write the editor. Subscription cost is $100 per year. A single copy is free to all students, faculty, staff and visitors to campus. Additional copies are $0.25 each. Printed by Triangle Web Printing, Durham, NC, Copyright 2011 by North Carolina State Student Media. All rights reserved.

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THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 27, 2020

Coleman Simpson: candidate for Student Senate president

EMMA SHEPPARD/TECHNICIAN

Coleman Simpson, a graduate student in agricultural education, is running for Student Senate president.

Boz Kaloyanov News Editor

Student Government (SG) elections are underway, and Coleman Simpson, a first-year graduate student in agricultural leadership and Senate president pro tempore, is running in an uncontested race to be the next Student Senate president.

The Student Senate president is effectively the leader of the Student Senate. They are responsible for organizing meeting agendas and leading the bi-weekly meetings. They also serve on the Fee Review and Tuition Review Advisory committees, which are responsible for recommending fee and tuition increases.

The Student Senate president’s close involvement with tuition and fee increases is something Simpson hopes to take advantage of by pushing for university departments to be more proactive with their submissions of fee proposals.

“One thing I want to do, that kind of

ties to the external role, is I really want to be as proactive and engaging with the tuition and fee process as much as possible and get started as early as possible,” Simpson said. “Every year, it feels like it’s happening in October, and we find out in the latter half of September.

We have a month to critically evaluate hundreds of dollars of increases.”

Simpson said involving more students in SG is something else he would focus on, as some seats tend to remain unfilled, and a full body is more representative of the university. He hopes to get more creative with recruiting if elected.

“When we have a full body, we’re actively and accurately representing everyone,” Simpson said. “Let’s go to those people, let’s go to the relevant college council, let’s pop into classrooms, let’s email the dean, finding creative solutions that can actually fill these seats, so we can have engaged and effective student leaders.”

Simpson said his drive to help other members of SG is central to why he chose to run for Student Senate president.

With nearly four years of experience behind him, Simpson feels prepared.

Moreover, much of this time has been spent in leadership capacities. Simpson is currently the Senate president pro tempore, which is somewhat of a vice president of the Senate.

“Pro tempore has been the one that’s most prepared me for Senate president,” Simpson said. “[Student Senate president is] this unique role in that it’s a lot of internal administration stuff within Student Government, but it’s also, by the nature of being a branch leader, an external advocacy role, specifically on the tuition committee, and they co-chair the fees committee. Being pro tempore has allowed me to explore both of those

sides.”

Simpson has helped numerous senators write legislation. He has written or co-sponsored dozens of bills in his time in SG. “I’ve tried to purposefully establish myself as someone who’s willing to help with anyone’s legislation,” Simpson said.

“That’s because my first year, I really wanted to write a bill on Delaney Robinson. She was a student at UNC-Chapel Hill who got sexually assaulted and was not being supported by the university.

I wanted to write a bill expressing our opinion on that, saying we stand with her and we stand with any student going through that at NC State.”

Though he did not know where to go, Simpson found help through student body vice president emeritus Mia Connell, who helped him write the bill.

“I wasn’t thrown into the fire,” Simpson said. “She sat me down and walked through like, what a whereas clause is.

If I hadn’t had that, I think I would’ve really struggled for a long time on what to write. Because of that, I really try and do that every year. I don’t care if I’m on the bill; I don’t care what the bill says. If you need help writing a bill, I will walk you through that process.”

Next year would mark SG’s 100th session. Simpson sees his involvement as incredibly beneficial to himself as a person and hopes to continue the organization for another 100 years.

“As long as we have NC State, I want there to be an NC State Student Government,” Simpson said. “Student Government has been one of the most foundational and impactful opportunities I’ve had on campus.”

Students will be able to vote all day on Monday, March 2 and Tuesday, March 3 through the GetInvolved website.

Student Media to host Student Government election debate Boz Kaloyanov News Editor

Three of the four tickets for student body president and vice president will participate in Student Media’s annual Student Government election debate Friday, Feb. 28 at 6:30 p.m. in Talley Student Union room 4140, the Student Government chambers. Attending president and vice president candidates, respectively, are as follows: Sam Brohaugh, a third-year studying civil engineering, and Erinn Foote, a second-year studying philosophy and political science; Max Stoltz, a third-year studying parks, recreation and tourism management, and Hannah Stoltz, a second-year studying fashion and textile management; Melanie Flowers, a third-year studying communication, and McKenzy Heavlin, a second-year studying electrical engineering.

One ticket will not be present: Student body president candidate Carlie Higgins, a third-year transfer student in political science and communication, has stated that she and student body vice president candidate Powell Braddock, a first-year studying chemical engineering, will be unable to attend the debate due to scheduling conflicts.

The debate is open to the public and serves as a chance for students to get to know candidates. In a similar format to last year’s Student Government debate, students may send questions ahead of time to Technician through Facebook, Twitter and email via technician-news@ ncsu.edu.

Candidates for student body president, vice president MAX AND HANNAH STOLTZ Boz Kaloyanov News Editor

College of Natural Resources Senator, Max Stoltz, a third-year studying parks, recreation and tourism management, is running for student body president this year with Wilson College of Textiles Senator Hannah Stoltz,

a second-year studying fashion and textile management. The Stoltz ticket said it hopes to promote wellness, run sustainability initiatives and improve Student Government outreach.

Max Stoltz, who served in Senate for two years, said he is looking to take the next step in SG leadership.

“I was already the chair of a committee, so this just seems like the logical next step to take,” Max Stoltz said. “I also think representation matters. The fact that I’m a member of the LGBT community, and being able to represent a minority group on a universitywide arena is important.”

Max Stoltz said he and his running mate work well as a team and have a fairly strong dynamic, because they are siblings.

“Any shortcomings I have, Hannah com-

pletes them in almost every way,” Max Stoltz said. “We make a really awesome team because we can be really honest and truthful with each other. We’ve always been really close growing up.”

The Stoltz platform is based around six topics: wellness, outreach, leadership, visibility, equity and sustainability, which forms the acronym “WOLVES.”

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Hannah Stoltz said although physical wellbeing is important, their campaign takes a more holistic approach to wellness, and wants to support emotional and mental well-being.

“We’re both active in going to the counseling center, and we believe that’s very important to support as well,” Hannah Stoltz said.

According to Hannah Stoltz, their campaign hopes to run more sustainability initiatives because, although NC State does a fairly good job in terms of sustainability, there is always more that can be done.

“UNC just implemented aluminum cups at all their sporting events,” Hannah Stoltz said. “I saw they were doing that at the Super Bowl; those were the cups they were using there. For all the sporting events we have at NC State, I think that would be a great initiative to take forth: implementing aluminum cups to sporting events.”

Attracting rural and low-income students should be a priority, Max Stoltz said, in regard to the outreach side of their platform.

Hannah Stoltz said while NC State has

THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 27, 2020

made strides, an even more diverse population would be better. Nontraditional leadership is something the Stoltz campaign wants to promote, as both said they don’t fall into a typical leader archetype, which they see as an asset because it can help them connect with the student body.

Both candidates on the Stoltz ticket currently serve in Student Senate, and Max Stoltz is also the delegation head for his college.

“In that role, I help train and lead the newer members of my delegation and help them acclimate to Student Government as a whole, and understand Senate meetings,” Max Stoltz said. “I also serve on COLD, the Committee on Onboarding and Leadership Development, as the delegation head.”

Max Stoltz is also the sergeant-at-arms, an officer position responsible for keeping order in Senate meetings and speaking to guests.

“I’m kind of the face of Senate, in having to talk to new people a lot,” Max Stoltz said.

“I have a unique outward-facing role. I think that translates over to the chair of Student Relations, which is an outward-facing committee.”

Meanwhile, Hannah Stoltz’s work has primarily been through the Wilson College of Textiles delegation. She said that ultimately,

EMMA SHEPPARD/TECHNICIAN

Hannah Stoltz, a second-year studying fashion and textile management and business entrepreneurship, and Max Stoltz, a third-year majoring in parks, recreation and tourism management are running for student body vice president and president, respectively.

their campaign’s goal is to connect with students.

“I think we can bring that personal connection that I sometimes feel like Student Government lacks,” Hannah Stoltz said. “Really connecting with everyone, no matter if it’s in Student Government or out, externally

with the whole community, administration — literally everyone. We want to have that personal connection, just to make everyone feels accepted, loved and cared for.”

Students will be able to vote all day on Monday, March 2 and Tuesday, March 3 through the GetInvolved website.

SAM BROHAUGH AND ERINN FOOTE Caryl J. Espinoza Jaen Assistant Opinion Editor

College of Engineering Senator Sam Brohaugh, a third-year studying civil engineering, and College of Humanities and Social Sciences Senator Erinn Foote, a second-year studying political science and philosophy of law, are running for student body president and vice president. The ticket is running on a platform of improving outreach between Student Government and students, providing fair opportunities to all students and addressing concerns of underrepresented groups on campus like graduate students.

Housing was a focal point in Brohaugh and Foote’s platform. Both want to reform the housing application system to give priority to financially disadvantaged students, alongside helping upperclassmen receive on-campus housing.

“It’s so hard for upperclassmen to get oncampus housing,” Brohaugh said. “We’re really trying to gear up some housing policies to take care of those upperclassmen who may not be able to get on-campus housing, and then just more accessibility on campus. For example, Bragaw Hall has no elevators, so for a student who may break their leg or have something else happen to them while they’re here on campus, they have got to climb the stairs every time.”

Both also call for re-evaluating Title IX, the process the university takes for students who have experienced sexual assault and harass-

ment, due to issues in its system. Alongside reevaluating Title IX, both plan to implement a task force in collaboration with OIED, Student Conduct, the Title IX office and the Women’s Center. Brohaugh and Foote hope to improve sexual assault prevention trainings for incoming students and provide more resources to students who go through the Title IX process.

Graduate student policies and rights will also be tackled by Brohaugh and Foote. Both expressed a desire to investigate graduate student fees, and to see which fee-funded campus services are used by graduate students.

Brohaugh and Foote also discussed working with the Graduate Student Association (GSA) to create a graduate student bill of rights, where issues such as maximum number of working hours would be settled. They also plan on working with the GSA to create a graduate student parking pass to further aid graduate students.

Outreach and interactivity with the student body was another focus. Their platform plans to bring back events such as NC State’s Diversity Education Week, alongside increased interaction with the Wellness and Recreation department to increase both awareness and recreational events. They also discussed increasing support of various campus community center activities such as the African American Cultural Center, the GLBT Center, and NC State’s Women’s Center.

“You can’t just not talk about diversity,” Foote said. “We’re not a diverse campus. We

EMMA SHEPPARD/TECHNICIAN

Erinn Foote, a second-year studying political science and philosophy, and Sam Brohaugh, a third-year studying civil engineering, are running for student body president vice president, respectively.

really aren’t. So we want to bring it back so we can have these tough conversations, but at the same time, we also want to partner with different community centers and campus offices so that it’s not just the sole burden of multicultural organizations.”

Brohaugh and Foote highlighted practicality, with both stressing how important it is to work together with both the student body and faculty to pass policies. Both were hopeful that with their experience and rigor, their policies will be enacted.

“At the end of the day, even though we’re advocates to university administrators, we need to be here looking after every student,” Brohaugh said. “I think Erinn and I are both capable listeners and advocates, and it’s a lot deeper than the positions we’ve held.”

Both candidates have been involved in

Student Government for the past two years.

Foote discussed her past experiences in Student Government, this year serving as Senate secretary, public affairs chair and a CHASS senator. Brohaugh has served on both the finance and appropriations committees.

“For Sam and I, our records speak for themselves,” Foote said. “We’ve been doing [Student Senate] for about two years, and for both of our two years, we haven’t been doing the bare minimum. We took leadership positions, worked on initiatives, and gave up our time.

We were in a meeting during the Duke-NC State basketball game, and when they won, we just had to keep going, you know? And it’s because we care.”

Students will be able to vote all day on Monday, March 2 and Tuesday, March 3 through the GetInvolved website.

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THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 27, 2020

MELANIE FLOWERS AND MCKENZY HEAVLIN

EMMA SHEPPARD/TECHNICIAN

McKenzy Heavlin, a second-year studying electrical engineering, and Melanie Flowers, a third-year studying communication, are running for student body vice president and president, respectively.

Cassie Englund Correspondent

Inter-Residence Council VP of National Communication Coordination Melanie Flowers, a third-year studying communications, is running for student body president this year. Her running mate is IRC VP of Media and Marketing McKenzy Heavlin, a second-year studying electri-

cal engineering. The ticket is running on a platform focusing on food and housing security, wellness and student government reform.

With the major pillars of their platform — food and housing security, well-being, sustainability, academics and Student Government affairs — Flowers hopes to both finish existing Student Government projects and create programs that will stay

CARLIE HIGGINS AND POWELL BRADDOCK

Kathryn Ellis

Correspondent

EMMA SHEPPARD/TECHNICIAN

Carlie Higgins, a third-year transfer student in communication and political science, is running alongside Powell Braddock (not pictured), a first-year studying chemical engineering, for student body president and vice president, respectively.

VP of Member Education for Kappa Delta Carlie Higgins, a third-year transfer student in political science and communication, and College of Engineering Senator Powell Braddock, a first-year in the college of engineering, are running for student body president and vice president this year. The two are running on a platform of transparency and improved communication between students and Student Government.

“Our main thing is really just focusing on students,” Higgins said. “That’s why our slogan is ‘students not politics.’ We believe that Student Government should really be about representing students.”

Higgins said their platform has two main pillars.

“We want to focus on depolarization and transparency,” Higgins said. “With 2020 being an election year, we think it is really important that the campus does not get too politicized.”

in place after her term would end.

“All of our platform is [about] what we can do and what we can set in place for the next session of Student Government,” Flowers said. “We’re trying to finish projects, tie some bows and start some new ones.”

Flowers and Heavlin hope to include a mental health clause in syllabi and inclusion of questions about the LGBTQ+ community on housing applications, as well as open syllabi for course registration.

A mental health clause in syllabi would indicate a professor being willing to excuse an absence on the basis of mental well-being. The two are also advocating for past syllabi to be available for students to view prior to registering for classes, in order to allow for approximation of workload.

“I really think it will help with checking the work balance throughout all your courses,” Heavlin said.

Flowers and Heavlin hope to achieve, with the help of University Housing and the GLBT Center, the inclusion of a question on housing applications regarding whether an applicant would be comfortable living with a member of the LGBTQ+ community.

“With the first-year live-on requirement, if you’re part of that community and you get housed with someone who isn’t supportive of that community, it can be really awkward and cause a lot of problems,” Heavlin said.

As a transfer student, Flowers was active in Student Government during her time at Western Carolina University and has

also been a senator in past sessions. She has worked in the diversity ethics department, been a chair on the committee of apportionment, and written legislation with the goal of creating a smoke-free campus.

Currently, neither Flowers nor Heavlin hold a position in Student Government.

“I have seen really successful initiatives through Student Government,” Flowers said. “I’ve also seen really amazing ideas just not being able to push all the way through. I’m excited to see for myself what stops those ideas from becoming a reality for students.”

Heavlin has never been a member of Student Government, but has been in leadership positions. He served on both the Metcalf Hall Council Executive Board and the Inter-Residence Council Executive Board, both of which Flowers also serves on. Additionally, Heavlin was an orientation leader for the class of 2023 last summer.

“The training for [being an orientation leader] is a lot about the university … so it gave me a really holistic look at the university and everything that we have going on,” Heavlin said. “It really helped me understand how I fit in with the university, in terms of my identity. As a white male, it’s very interesting. You see how disproportionate we are and how predominantly white we are. It really taught me how to be an advocate for those underrepresented groups.”

Students will be able to vote all day on Monday, March 2 and Tuesday, March 3 through the GetInvolved website.

In the context of the controversial Culture War event and No Hate at NC State protest, Higgins said the campaign’s aim is to maintain peace and encourage open communication.

“Our goal is to make sure that [students] know what Student Government does for them,” Higgins said. “We want them to be aware that it’s a resource, and that if they have a problem they want to address, the doors are open.”

Outreach will play into this goal, Higgins said.

“Our goal is to be proactive in visiting student organizations to really find out what NC State students want to see changed in government and what they really like about it,” Higgins said.

Braddock and Higgins have already made an effort to reach out to students and learn more about the changes they’d like to see. The lack of blue lights in certain areas of Centennial Campus has been brought to Higgins’ attention by a friend studying computer science.

“I never go to Centennial because I’m a CHASS major, but had I not gone out and talked to other NC State students, how would any of us know?” Higgins said. “I think it’s really important for senators, and for someone who is seeking an officer position, just to be proactive

in talking to students and actually finding out what our real causes and concerns are.”

The goal is to increase communication between student senators and their constituents, Higgins said.

“I think to be effective, you have to keep up communication,” Higgins said. “We want to encourage senators to also be proactive and go out into their communities, making sure that once we’re in there, [communication] doesn’t end, that we’re continuously following up with organizations.”

Along with being involved with the sorority Kappa Alpha Theta, Braddock is currently a senator for the College of Engineering. Higgins has never been involved in Student Government, but has held leadership positions for NC State College Republicans, serving as director of recruitment for the past two years and as vice chair this year.

Braddock said she and Higgins feel they are on the same page regarding their stances. Their aim is to receive regular input from students and make sure each unique perspective is heard on campus.

Students will be able to vote all day on Monday, March 2 and Tuesday, March 3 through the GetInvolved website.

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Democratic primary candidates on student loan debt, tuition Riley Wolfram

Assistant News Editor

Bernie Sanders: College Debt — Sanders says he wants to cancel all student loan debt for the 45 million Americans who owe approximately $1.6 trillion and place a cap on student loan interest rates going forward at 1.88%.

How — When in office, Sanders says he will cancel the entire $1.6 trillion in outstanding student debt for the 45 million borrowers, which will save around $3,000 a year for the average student loan borrower.

College Tuition — Sanders says he wants to guarantee tuition and debt-free public colleges, universities, HBCUs, minority-serving institutions and trade schools to all. Sanders wants to ensure students are able to cover non-tuition costs of attending school by expanding Pell Grants to cover non-tuition and fee costs and tripling funding for the Federal Work-Study Program.

How — When in the White House, Sanders says he will pass the College for All Act, which will provide at least $48 billion per year to eliminate tuition and fees at four-year public colleges and universities, tribal colleges, community colleges, trade schools and apprenticeship programs. Sanders says if he takes office, he will provide Pell Grants to low-income students to cover the non-tuition and fee costs of school, including housing, books, supplies, transportation and other costs of living. He will also require participating states and tribes to cover the full cost of obtaining a degree for low-income students (normally those with a family income of less than $25,000) by covering a gap that may exist after the elimination of tuition, fees and grants. He also says he will place a cap on student loan interest rates going forward and triple funding for the Federal Work-Study Program.

Pete Buttigieg: College Debt — Buttigieg says if elected, he will make student loans less burdensome and more affordable.

How — Buttigieg says he will automatically enroll struggling student borrowers in affordable, income-driven repayment plans, cancel debt for borrowers who attended unaffordable for-profit programs, and provide earlier student loan forgiveness to public servants and full debt cancellation after 10 years of service.

College Tuition — Buttigieg says his goal is to enable 10 million more students to graduate with high-quality college degrees and credentials over the next decade.

How — Buttigieg says he will make public tuition free for 80% of American families, including all families earning up to $100,000, and many middle-income families with

multiple children. He says he will also add $120 billion to the Pell Grant program, including increasing the size of the maximum Pell Grant by $1,000. Additionally, he says he will have his administration notify students of their Pell Grant eligibility automatically starting in the ninth grade, and have the federal government complete most of their Free Applications for Federal Student Aid (FAFSAs) for them.

Elizabeth Warren: College Debt — Warren says she will use existing laws on day one of her presidency to implement her student loan debt cancellation plan that would offer relief to 42 million Americans.

How — Warren says she will direct the secretary of education to use their authority to begin to compromise and modify federal student loans consistent with her plan to cancel up to $500,000 in debt for 95% of student loan borrowers. She says she will also direct the secretary of education to use existing authorities to rein in the for-profit college industry, crack down on predatory student lending, and combat the racial disparities in our higher education system.

College Tuition — Warren says she will push for Congress to enact universal tuitionfree public college, increase Pell Grants by $100 billion to cover living expenses for low and middle-income students and expand who is eligible for a Pell Grant, and increase funding by $50 million for HBCUs and minorityserving institutions. She also says she will push for Congress to place a ban on federal funding for for-profit colleges.

How — Warren has proposed a wealth tax to offset the costs of her proposals. This tax would apply only to households with a net worth of $50 million or more, who would pay an annual 2% tax on every dollar of net worth above $50 million and a 6% tax on every dollar of net worth above $1 billion.

Joe Biden: College Debt — Biden says he will more than halve payments on undergraduate federal student loans by simplifying and increasing the generosity of today’s income-based repayment program. Biden also says he will make loan forgiveness work for public servants, crack down on private lenders profiteering off students, and allow individuals holding private loans to discharge them in bankruptcy.

How — Biden says that under his plan, individuals making $25,000 or less per year will not owe any payments on their undergraduate federal student loans and also won’t accrue any interest on their student loans, and everyone else will pay 5% of their discretion-

ary income, which is income minus taxes and essential spending, like housing and food.

College Tuition — Biden says he will invest in community colleges and training to improve student success and grow a stronger middle class. Biden says he will provide two years of community college or another highquality training program without debt and will create a new grant program to assist community colleges in improving their students’ success. He says he will also make a $50 billion investment in workforce training, including community college business partnerships and apprenticeships.

How — Biden says he will build on the progress made during his vice presidency under President Obama and enact legislation to ensure that anyone who wants to attend community college can for up to two years without paying tuition. This plan will be a federal-state partnership, with the federal government covering 75% of the cost and states contributing the rest of the obligation.

Michael Bloomberg: College Debt — Bloomberg says he will make two-year public colleges and four-year colleges debt-free for the lowest-income students. Bloomberg says he will also reduce the cap on federal undergraduate student-loan payments and make it possible for students to pay back just what they can afford.

How — Bloomberg says he will cut the cap on student loan payments by 50% and forgive loans tax-free after 20 years.

College Tuition — Bloomberg says he will make two-year public colleges tuition free for all and will make four-year colleges tuition-free for the lowest-income students.

Bloomberg says he will also make a four-year education highly affordable for middle-class families.

How — Bloomberg says he will double the size of Pell Grants and remove current barriers of access to Pell Grants for DREAMers and formerly incarcerated students.

Tom Steyer: College Debt/How — Steyer says he will tackle the student debt crisis by forgiving certain types of student loan debt, reforming the public service student loan forgiveness program, making the refinancing of student loans easier, cracking down on predatory student loan servicers, and expanding access to educational benefits through his New National Public Service Plan.

College Tuition — On his campaign site, Steyer says “every American should have the right to a free, quality, public education from universal pre-kindergarten through higher education, including workforce and technical training.”

What to expect on Wake County voting ballots Riley Wolfram

Assistant News Editor

With the North Carolina primary election March 3 and early voting ending Feb. 29, here’s what positions are listed on each of Wake County’s available voter ballots.

Democrat If you’re voting in the Democratic primary, the federal offices you may vote for are Presidential Preference, U.S. Senate and U.S. House of Representatives District 2. The state offices are N.C. Governor; N.C. Lieutenant Governor, which is the second-highest elected North Carolina official, with both legislative and executive powers; N.C. Auditor, whose office conducts special studies as requested by the legislature to ensure North Carolina can continue to receive federal funding; N.C. Commissioner of Agriculture; N.C. Superintendent of Public Instruction; and N.C. Treasurer. The county offices are Board of Commissioners District 1, Board of Commissioners District 3, and Register of Deeds, who handles all land titles and transactions in the county.

Republican If you’re voting in the Republican primary, the federal offices listed on the ballot are Presidential Preferences and U.S. Senate. Although there are no county offices listed on the Republican ballot, there are eight state offices. These offices are N.C. Governor, N.C. Lieutenant Governor, N.C. Attorney General, N.C. Auditor, N.C. Commissioner of Insurance, N.C. Commissioner of Labor, N.C. Secretary of State and N.C. Superintendent of Public Administration.

Libertarian For those voting Libertarian, the only position you can vote for on the ballot is the federal Presidential Preference.

TECHNICIAN 7

Opinion TECHNICIANONLINE.COM

THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 27, 2020

NC State students should practice voting in the primary T he Nor t h Ca rol i na pr i ma r y elec t ions a re coming up next Tuesday, March 3. Voters across state will choose nominees for governor, t he state and federal legisNoah latures and most visibly, Jabusch for the president of the Staff Columnist United States. As a “Super Tuesday” state, North Carolina will play an impactful role in deciding the Democratic nominee. If one of the candidates wins here as well as in other states, they could instantly gain a large lead in the race that could propel them to an early victory.

However, the presidential contest is far from the only reason to vote. In many legislative districts with strong partisan leanings, the primary is essentially the election, as the nominee of the stronger party will almost certainly gain office.

The main reason NC State students should vote in the primary, though, is that it enables new voters to become familiar with the voting process before the general election, which will help us be more civically engaged in the future.

Voter turnout generally skews higher among older people, often much higher.

For instance, in 2018, students older than 30 saw 51% turnout, while those 18-21 had only 34.1% turnout. That 17-point gap is down from 22% in 2014, but still represents a challenge in convincing young adults to get out and vote.

This deficit could be caused by a number of factors, likely all working together, including lack of interest, lack of awareness and unfamiliarity with the process.

While the first two issues are more systemic, the third can easily be resolved through practice.

A key reason to start with the primary is that turnout is almost always lower

than during the general election. This minimizes the chance you’ll have to wait in a long line to cast a ballot, which can be an additional turn-off.

Primaries also represent a lower-pressure situation than the general election.

Regardless of who you select, most candidates seeking a party’s nomination hold similar policy positions, so while your choice still matters, it may not be as stressful as the final choice of who holds an office. It can be tempting to react to tough choices by not making them, so removing inhibitions to voting during a potentially low-stakes primary with multiple acceptable candidates can take the edge off the big decision in November.

For those looking to vote in the primary, there are some important things to know. Talley Student Union is an early voting site, and it will be open for voting through this Saturday. If you are not registered in Wake County or are not

registered to vote, you can register and vote in Talley if you are voting early. On Election Day, however, you must vote at your precinct’s polling location, which you can find with your voter registration information.

Another important note is that North Carolina has a “semi-closed” primary, meaning if you are registered with a party holding a primary, you must vote in that primary. If you are registered as unaffiliated, you may choose to fill out the ballot for any single party’s primary.

2020 is likely to be a profoundly impactful election. Students at NC State, many of whom haven’t voted in a presidential election before, should take this opportunity to test the process and get comfortable with it. Our voice matters for the future of North Carolina and, by extension, how our university is run. It’s in our best interests to get out there and vote for a candidate who will support us.

OP-ED: Don’t Let Greek Life Control Student Government Before starting, I would just like to acknowledge a few things. I am a proud member of Greek life, a nd I have repeated ly advocated for increased fraternity and sorority Thomas involvement in Student Walsh Government. For most Guest Columnist of this year, I was one of only two IFC members in the Senate.

Poole College of Management, where I study business administration, is filled with members of Greek life, and by being a member of Greek life, a majority of my social circle is in a fraternity or sorority as well. So for my countless friends and peers in Greek life, please hear me out, as this is an issue larger than us.

Before campaigning started for the Spring Election, I was approached by two sorority members who told me they had attended a meeting where a candidate proposed the creation of a Greek life ticket for the student body election. This group, known as “YourState 2020,” is made up of 28 members running for all but three Senate races on the ballot. They have no apparent platform and no public mention of its ties to Greek life. It has been shared online by many members of Greek life and is, in essence, a political party.

This is frightening for a few reasons.

Senate elections are often decided by less than five votes, meaning even a small

group that campaigns together would have a massive effect, and this is far from a small group. There are more members of Greek life at NC State than there are people who even voted in the election last year.

Only three members of YourState 2020 have ever served in Student Government, one of whom was only appointed two weeks ago, and another was removed from office by a near-unanimous vote this year for having almost as many absences as there had been meetings. Student Government requires experienced members to carry out essential tasks, including allocating hundreds of thousands of dollars to student organizations every year. Efforts have been made in the past to politicize Student Government elections, and these have created nothing but chaos. They are not operating with the best interests of the Student Body in mind, only those of members of social Greek life.

This group has been promoted by and, in turn, supported student body president and vice president candidates Carlie Higgins and Powell Braddock, a fact which is not disclosed in any campaign materials. For a ticket that runs on the slogan “students not politics,” the idea that the first thing they did was promote a political party is irony in its greatest sense. Perhaps worse than anything else, they would be in charge of appointing of-

ficials to Student Government, including a student chief justice, the future Board of Elections chair, student representatives for university standing committees, and leaders and members of countless executive departments. With no publicly published platform anywhere online at the time of writing, they simply seem to be running as representatives of Greek life. Because of this, I worry that they will not be able to represent students outside of those in Greek life and will affect Student Government for years to come. In addition, neither Carlie Higgins nor Powell Braddock currently have chosen to attend the Student Government Election Debate on Friday, which would provide the opportunities for all of these issues to be discussed.

Shortly after discovering this, both the YourState 2020 and the official Higgins/ Braddock social media accounts began blocking members of the student body, including myself, who have publicly supported candidates outside of their party, before finally going private. This is extremely unethical and unprofessional, as these candidates are running in a race to represent the entire student body, including those who may have not supported them in the election.

My first thought when I heard about this was that it was modeled almost exactly like “The Machine,” a cult at the University of Alabama made up of Greek

life leaders which for over 100 years used terrorism and hate crimes to scare anyone who was not a member, especially students of color and members of the LGBT community, and keep them from running for election. I would like to believe that something of this level would not happen at NC State, but Greek life control of Student Government is almost guaranteed if we as a student body do not oppose this in some way.

Each year, only a small portion of our student body will vote in the Spring Election and fewer will know much about candidates beyond what is on the signs around campus. Stories like this are impossible to share on a yard sign, but when they will affect every member of our student body for the next year, and likely far longer, they are worth sharing.

I would encourage every member of our student body to watch the debate, read candidates’ platforms and talk to candidates to learn about the people who will represent you if they win.

Thomas Walsh is a second-year student studying business administration in the Poole College of Management.

He currently serves as a senator and the press secretary of Student Government. The views he expresses in this article are his own and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of Student Government.

Arts & Entertainment TECHNICIANONLINE.COM

TECHNICIAN 8 THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 27, 2020

Juniper Level Botanic Garden opens winter weekend Sally Parker

“promotes and preserves botanic diversity by bridging the gap between botany and horticulture,” making this focus on presThe Juniper Level Botanic Garden, a gar- ervation even more explicit.

Avent said the Juniper Level Botanic den which focuses primarily on aesthetics and botanical diversity, is having its second Garden has 27,000 plants, and he has perwinter opening weekend Friday-Sunday, sonally done 73 trips to places around the Feb. 28-March 1. The garden is an exclu- world to study different plants.

“If we look at the world and how much sive sight, open only eight weekends out the climate is changing, how much it has of the year.

“We want people to see the garden in all changed since I grew up, the worst way to four seasons, because so many people that preserve plants is to leave them alone where are beginning gardeners only believe that they exist today,” Avent said. “We believe you garden in spring,” said Tony Avent, in ex-situ preservation, which means going founder of the Juniper Level Botanic Gar- out, getting cuttings, getting seeds, getting den. “They don’t believe that anything a division and propagating those plants happens the rest of the year, and we want and sharing them all around the world so to bring people out and show them how that somewhere, they’re going to survive much is in flower, how much is going on for human use.”

For many, this well-meaning plan of in the wintertime.”

The garden holds special meaning for propagation raises ecological concerns of creating an invasive NC State, as Avent is species. In North an alum of the horWe want people to Ca rol i na, k ud zu ticulture program. and fire ants are Avent said he has see the garden in all two prominent exbeen “hardwired” amples of invasive to care for plants four seasons, because species, as neither all his life. As early are native to North as five years old, he so many people Carolina and often grew and sold plants that are beginning do harm to their as a hobby. During surrounding ecoWolfpack football gardeners only believe log ic a l s y s tem s . games, he would Dennis Werner, a pore over book s that you garden in professor of hortiabout plants on the culture science at bleachers. spring. -Tony Avent NC State, responded Avent also gifted to the worries about the garden to the university while retaining lifetime rights. invasive species being brought into the In response, NC State has set up a nonprofit gardens.

“I think we [horticulturists] are doing endowment for the garden and hopes to raise $17 million to keep it operational much better now than we did in the past,” full-time as a sister to the J.C. Raulston Werner said. “I think there is much more awareness of the invasiveness issue …

Arboretum.

“Once we make our transition over to Most plants that have been brought into NC State, then we’ll add some extra staff, the United States from other countries do not present a problem in regards to inand we’ll be open full-time,” Avent said.

Avent studied under J.C. Raulston, a vasiveness, but some have. I don’t think renowned horticulturist and professor at we should restrict all plants just because NC State who founded the J.C. Raulston they’re not native, but we should be cogniArboretum. With the two gardens hav- zant of the fact that there are species that ing worked together previously, it is no are potentially invasive.”

Avent said one reason why plant cultivasurprise they are becoming sisters. Avent thought pairing the Juniper Level Botanic tion has taken on new levels of importance Garden with the J.C. Raulston Arboretum is because many of the plants he found on would be a natural fit, because the arbo- his various trips now only exist in captivity. retum’s mission spoke to him as an ideal Werner went on to talk about what makes pairing for the garden’s view of plant pres- the Juniper Level Botanic Garden a unique facility in the United States. ervation and sharing.

“In regards to herbaceous perennials and “For us, preservation of the species is not the end point,” Avent said. “That only gets unique and rare plants, Tony’s garden is us to the end point, which is human use.” one of the foremost gardens in the country, The Juniper Level Botanic Garden, ac- and we’re very fortunate to have that here cording to its online mission statement, in Wake County,” Werner said.

Correspondent

“

ELIJAH MORACCO-SCHELP/ARCHIVE

The J.C. Raulston Arboretum at NC State is nationally acclaimed for its diverse and international collection of plants and flowers.

”

ELIJAH MORACCO-SCHELP/ARCHIVE

“Dragon’s blood” flowers bloom in J.C. Raulston Arboretum. The arboretum is nationally acclaimed, housing plants from the southeastern United States and from all over the world. This flower is native to Japan.

GRAPHIC BY ANNA LEE/TECHNICIAN

Arts & Entertainment

TECHNICIAN 9

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THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 27, 2020

Cults, sects and religions class challenges viewpoints, provides new perspective

T H E R A DA R Events to keep an eye on for the week of Feb. 27 STATE OF SOUND STORIES: RON GILMORE JR. D.H. HILL JR. LIBRARY, FISHBOWL FORUM THURSDAY, FEB. 27, 3-4 P.M. Free NC State University Libraries will be hosting American musician and composer Ron Gilmore Jr., who will be discussing his experiences in creating and producing music and sound.

QUEER MEDIA MONDAYS TALLEY STUDENT UNION, GLBT CENTER MONDAY, MARCH 2, 5-7 P.M. Free GRAPHIC BY RAFAEL ZINGLE/TECHNICIAN

Skye Sarac Staff Writer

Of the many interesting classes at NC State, there’s one you might not have heard of: REL 323 Religious Cults, Sects, and Minority Faiths in America. The class is taught by Jason Bivins, a professor of religious studies who has researched the relationship between religion and politics as well as religion and music.

“It’s sort of a subsection of the larger religion in America class that I teach, basically an extended look at religious creativity in the United States,” Bivins said. “I do start the class out by problematizing the word ‘cult’ that’s used in the title and showing students how that term has been misused in a lot of ways to characterize minority religions as being ‘dangerous’ religions.”

The purpose of the class is to challenge misconceptions and provide students with exposure to different viewpoints, even if they don’t necessarily agree with those views, according to Bivins. He said although the class contains the word “cult”

in the title, he prefers the term “new religious movements” because it allows students to examine religions from a more neutral perspective.

Hubert Kwame Asamoah Boadu, a fourth-year studying science, technology and society, signed up for the class after he heard a talk by Bivins that piqued his curiosity. After talking further with Bivins, Asamoah Boadu decided to take his class to learn more about cults.

“I’ve been looking at cults and things like that for almost a year or two on my own, watching documentaries and going through podcasts,” Asamoah Boadu said.

“I actually looked into a memoir of the wife of a polygamist and a fundamentalist in the Mormon Church. She went through hell.”

According to Bivins, the purpose of the class was not to demonize cults, but to give students a framework for understanding different religions so they could observe religions through a more neutral lens.

“They can come out of the class by saying, ‘Yes, Jonestown was horrible; yes, illegally stockpiling weapons was hor-

rible; yes, sex with underage women is horrible,’” Bivins said. “But I think they’ll also be able to say that the vast majority of minority religions in the U.S. are not harmful.”

Asamoah Boadu said his view of cults drastically changed after taking this class.

“You look at some of these people and say, ‘It’s just misogyny’ or ‘It’s just racism,’ but not everyone’s like that,” Asamoah Boadu said. “So that has been a big shift for me.”

Bivins said the main goal for the class was religious literacy and the ability to tolerate different viewpoints, which is absolutely integral to succeeding in the workforce as well as in everyday life.

“Knowing that whether it’s here in the Triangle or nationally in America, we’re just going toward greater diversity in general, and with that comes religious diversity,” Bivins said. “I think that this goal of punching holes in stereotypes really is intended to make people less suspicious of their neighbors and more tolerant.”

The GLBT Center will be hosting queer media-focused gatherings, where they can look at movies, literature and shows created by LGBTQ+ authors and creators. They will discuss, read and watch these works every Monday.

TUNNEL PAINTING FREE EXPRESSION TUNNEL TUESDAY, MARCH 3, 3-5 P.M. Free Join the Women’s Center in painting the Free Expression Tunnel for International Women’s Day to express the need and importance of a genderequal world.

Sports

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THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 27, 2020

Wolfpack facing third seed in NCAA Tournament

Jake Caccavaro

Assistant Sports Editor

&

Tristan Tucker Staff Writer

The No. 8 NC State women’s basketball team has long been a lock for the NCAA Tournament and has a potential shot at a No. 2 seed in the big dance. According to ESPN’s bracketology, the Wolfpack was a No. 1 seed in the Fort Wayne region before a home loss to Louisville last Thursday, and two disappointing home losses to Georgia Tech and Duke.

Before Monday night’s loss to the Blue Devils, ESPN’s bracketology had the Wolfpack sitting at a No. 2 seed, but directly following the loss, the team was bumped down to a No. 3 seed, according to the website.

NC State’s resume, as currently constructed, provides a conundrum for the NCAA Tournament selection committee. The Wolfpack sits at 23-4, with ranked wins over then-No. 9 Maryland and then-No. 13 Florida State. The team only had two losses, with one on the road against its rival, North Carolina, and at home against No. 9 Louisville, until a two-game home losing streak. A 65-61 loss to Georgia Tech and a 70-65 loss to Duke, both unranked but solid teams, staggered the Wolfpack completely.

The Wolfpack sits at just 22 in RPI, the lowest of any contender for a No. 2 seed, played only one ranked team in nonconference play and its only ranked win in ACC play is against a team that could drop out of the rankings come March.

The most likely scenario for NC State is that the team clinches a No. 3 seed in the NCAA Tournament. This scenario accounts for the team winning both of its remaining regular-season games and making a run in the ACC tournament, but ultimately losing in the championship game to Louisville. If the Wolfpack were to advance to the ACC Tournament championship game but lose to a team other than Louisville, its No. 3 seed odds get a lot murkier.

Although external factors such as other top contenders winning or losing could inf luence where NC State lands in the NCAA Tournament, the Wolfpack’s No.

2 seed hopes are largely on the shoulders of Louisville. If the Cardinals advance to the ACC Tournament championship, the Wolfpack’s chances at a top-two seed remain possible.

After a 22-1 start and a No. 4 ranking as late as the middle of February, a No. 3 or No. 4 seed for this team would be a disappointment, but both are likely outcomes. If the Wolfpack were to drop a regular-season game against one of its two remaining unranked opponents, bow out of the ACC Tournament before the championship game, or have both of these happen, then the Wolfpack is setting itself up for a No. 4 seed in the tournament, lower than last year’s team.

The Wolfpack will return to Reynolds Coliseum on Thursday, Feb. 27, as it takes on the Syracuse Orange, who sit at 9-7 in ACC play, in an attempt to right the ship before the ACC Tournament in early March.

SARAH COCHRAN/TECHNICIAN

Freshman forward Jada Boyd goes up for a shot during the 15th annual Play4Kay game versus the Duke Blue Devils Monday, Feb. 24, 2020 in Reynolds Coliseum. Boyd scored 15 points and had four rebounds against the Blue Devils. NC State lost to Duke 70-65.

SARAH COCHRAN/TECHNICIAN

Senior guard Aislinn Konig drives down the court during the game versus the Duke Blue Devils on Monday, Feb. 24, 2020 in Reynolds Coliseum at the 15th annual Play4Kay game. Konig scored eight points and had seven assists against the Blue Devils. NC State lost to Duke 70-65.

Sports

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THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 27, 2020

Pack baseball travels to Minnesota for Cambria College Classic Rachel Umbach Staff Writer

The NC State baseball team will travel to U.S. Bank Stadium in Minneapolis Feb. 28-March 1 as a part of the Cambria College Classic. In this three-game tournament, the Wolfpack will play Iowa, Purdue and Minnesota.

The No. 13 Pack (8-0) is coming off a win against UNC-Wilmington this past Tuesday, Feb. 25. Led by junior infielder/ outfielder Devonte Brown’s three-run home run in the first inning, NC State secured the 8-0 win. Five pitchers were a part of the shutout victory, including junior David Harrison, who pitched the first 4.2 innings and recorded six strikeouts. Combined, the pitching staff struck out 11 batters, making this the fifth game this season there’s been double-digit strikeouts in a single game.

NC State’s offense has been stellar this year, outscoring its opponents 74-15.

Brown has been leading the way with a .448 batting average, including 13 hits, 16 RBIs and four home runs. Another important mention is junior infielder Austin Murr. With an OBP of .500 and nine runs scored so far, he’s been a crucial part of what makes this offense so great.

The strength of NC State’s offense has been its ability to crush home runs. The game against the Seahawks on Tuesday was the third time this season that the Wolfpack has hit multiple homers in a single game, making this ability a very big threat for the Pack.

Junior righty Reid Johnston will take the mound Friday afternoon for NC State against Iowa, while junior lefty Nick Swiney and freshman Chris Villaman will earn the starts Saturday and Sunday, respectively. In just one start, Johnston has recorded a 5.06 ERA with seven strikeouts. Swiney has a 1.38 ERA while fanning 22 batters in 13 innings pitched, while Villaman has struck out seven and recorded a 1.59 ERA in 5.2 innings. With a solid defense behind them, these pitchers have the opportunity to really shine this upcoming weekend.

Iowa (3-3) hasn’t had the same start to its season the Wolfpack has. With inconsistent pitching, especially from the bullpen, the Hawkeyes have had trouble stringing together wins. Recently they beat No. 18 Arizona on the road in California, but they struggled against San

MARISSA MCHUGH/TECHNICIAN

Freshman infielder Jose Torres rounds second base at the baseball game against James Madison at Doak Field on Saturday, Feb. 15. The Wolfpack played James Madison three times over the weekend.

Diego on Sunday. With only 52 hits as a team this season compared to the Pack’s 88, and three homers compared to NC State’s 12, Iowa’s offense just isn’t as consistent as it needs to be.

Purdue (6-1) has had a better start to its season, with only one loss, which was back in its first series against Hofstra.

While its defense started off rocky, it has shut down teams as of late, letting up only three runs in its last two games.

Scoring 54 runs in its first seven games,

Purdue’s offense is not to be messed with.

Senior catcher Bryce Bonner leads the Boilermakers with a .400 ERA, including six hits and seven RBIs. Sophomore infielder Evan Albrecht has also had a large impact, with 10 RBIs of his own.

Minnesota (3-4) hasn’t had a strong start to its season either. Both the defense and offense have struggled so far for the Gophers. The defense has struggled the most, with 11 errors as a team and letting up 56 runs, while the offense

has only managed to score 35 in its first seven games. The Gophers have a few key batters though, including redshirt freshman outfielder Otto Grimm and sophomore outfielder Andrew Wilhite, who both have a .417 ERA to start the season.

The Wolfpack will start the weekend Friday at noon against Iowa. It’ll take on Purdue Saturday at noon and conclude the weekend against Minnesota Sunday at 7 p.m.

Sports

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THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 27, 2020

NC State faces tough tests in top 15 ACC matchups

THIS WEEK I N S P O RTS

Games to keep an eye on for the week of Feb. 27 Camden Speight Sports Editor

WOMEN’S BASKETBALL VS. SYRACUSE REYNOLDS COLISEUM THURSDAY, FEB. 27, 8 P.M The Wolfpack has struggled as of late, losing three of its last four games after starting the year 22-1.

With its tournament seeding on the line, the Pack needs to get out of its recent funk, and Syracuse is a good opportunity to do so. The Orange is just 15-12 overall (9-7 ACC) and is coming off a two-point road loss to Notre Dame.

SOFTBALL VS. LEHIGH DAIL SOFTBALL STADIUM FRIDAY, FEB. 28, 12:30 P.M

CLIFF MASKE/TECHNICIAN

Sophomore Alana Smith celebrates her win in her NC State’s women’s tennis match against No. 9 South Carolina Saturday, Jan. 18 at J.W. Isenhour Tennis Center.

Joe Lingo

Correspondent

The No. 3 NC State women’s tennis team will be back in Raleigh this weekend for some tough conference play at J.W. Isenhour Tennis Center. The Pack will face No. 12 Wake Forest on Friday and No. 13 Virginia on Sunday.

The Wolfpack has been on a nice streak recently, pulling out some hardfought wins against No. 9 Georgia at the ITA Team Indoor National Championship and No. 32 Notre Dame in South Bend, Indiana. More narrow matches are probably in NC State’s future, as both of their conference opponents this weekend are top 15 in the country.

Wake Forest has some impressive victories under its belt coming into this weekend, most recently beating No. 5 Princeton to claim the Blue Gray Tennis Classic title. The Demon Deacons’

singles players continued to show their prowess, as they only suffered one singles loss and No. 29 sophomore Carolyn Campana continued her hot streak, defeating No. 17 Brianna Shvets from Princeton.

Wake Forest also crushed No. 37 Clemson 7-0 on the road, again helped by wins from Campana as well as the Demon Deacons’ No. 11 doubles team of Eliza Omirou and Mary Caroline Meredith.

NC State has good depth with its doubles teams as well, with No. 2 duo sophomore Alana Smith and senior Anna Rogers, as well as No. 13 duo junior Jaeda Daniel and senior Adriana Reami playing very well right now.

Although Rogers and Smith did suffer a loss against Notre Dame, they brought it back with a 6-4 win against Louisville last Sunday, NC State’s only doubles win that day. NC State looked very good in singles play last weekend,

losing only twice to Notre Dame and once to Louisville. Good singles play is going to be essential if the Pack wants wins this weekend, as both Wake Forest and Virginia have multiple players in the top 100.

Virginia has four, including No. 15 Natasha Subhash, who was unstoppable in Virginia’s last match against Clemson, winning 6-1 and 6-2. Virginia was on fire that day, only losing one singles match. How Virginia plays against No. 1 North Carolina this Friday will probably be a good indicator of how they’ll look on Sunday against State, as Virginia is unproven on the road.

It is going to be an exciting weekend regardless, as all teams are incredibly talented and undoubtedly hungry for some conference wins.

The Feb. 28 matchup against Wake Forest will begin at 2 p.m., and the match against Virginia will start at 1 p.m. on March 1.

Softball will be hosting the NC State invitational over the weekend, playing four games against three opponents: Lehigh, NC A&T and No. 24/25 James Madison. The Wolfpack is off to a strong start on the season with an 11-5 record, winning nine of its last 11 games. The Pack will be looking to bounce back after a midweek loss to Duke.

MEN’S BASKETBALL VS. PITTSBURGH PNC ARENA SATURDAY, FEB. 29, NOON Pack men’s basketball will be looking to bounce back from a disappointing loss in Chapel Hill on Tuesday. The Wolfpack is currently teetering on the bubble, and another loss to a lower-tier ACC team may burst the bubble and keep the Pack out of the tournament for a second year.

Sports

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THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 27, 2020

Gymnastics takes on another quad-meet Kailee Jurnak Staff Writer

The NC State gymnastics team remains on the road when it travels to University Park, Pennsylvania for another quadmeet. The team will compete against Penn State, Cornell and EAGL foe Towson.

The No. 27 Wolfpack has been successful on the road. Last weekend, the Pack scored a composite score of 196.025, its fourth meet where it scored over 196.000.

The Pack has so far accumulated an average score of 195.453 and an NQS of 195.675.

In the past, NC State has easily dominated No. 50 Towson. The Pack has a 9-0 record against the Tigers. Towson’s highest team score this season is 194.725 during its Own Your Roar quad-meet, and it averages 193.496 for the season.

Earlier this season, Towson participated in a dual meet with the Pack, only for the Pack to outscore the Tigers 195.650193.975. The Tigers have a current NQS

score of 193.515.

The No. 64 Cornell Bears are having a lower scoring season than the other three teams that will be attending the quadmeet. With an NQS score just shy of the 190.000 mark at 189.760 and a similar average of 189.789, the Bears will probably struggle the most throughout the meet.

The Wolfpack’s history with the Bears appears favorable for the Pack, with a record of 3-0. The past two years, the Pack ’s scores have easily created large margins between the two teams.

The No. 23 Lions have the best chance at challenging the Wolfpack, with a tied record 2-2, with each meet being close in score. The Lions’ current NQS score is 195.745, along with an average score of 195.319. The Lions have also been pushing themselves against some of the top teams in the country. The team has a season high of 196.325, a mere 0.175-point difference against the Pack’s season high of 196.500.

The Wolfpack will begin its first event at the meet at 4 p.m.

MINH PHAM/TECHNICIAN

Junior Kasey Nelson smiles during her floor performance on Saturday, Feb. 15 at Reynolds Coliseum. Nelson tied at ninth place in the lower exercise with an individual score of 9.825.

MINH PHAM/TECHNICIAN

Freshman Emily Shepard hits a pose during her floor performance Saturday, Feb. 15, 2020 at Reynolds Coliseum. Shepard tied for 14th in the floor exercise with a score of 9.775.

MINH PHAM/TECHNICIAN

Junior Katie Cox preps herself on the balance beam on Saturday Feb. 15, at Reynolds Coliseum. NC State finished in second amongst the three schools, with a total team score of 194.950.

Sports

TECHNICIAN 14

TECHNICIANONLINE.COM

THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 27, 2020

Men’s Basketball takes on Pittsburgh in penultimate home game Matthew Costello Correspondent

NC State men’s basketball will take on Pittsburgh this Saturday in the penultimate home game of the season. The Wolfpack (17-11, 8-9 ACC) will look to bounce back after its loss to North Carolina on Tuesday, while the Panthers (15-13, 6-11 ACC) will look to end their four-game losing streak.

Pittsburgh has improved in its first two years under Jeff Capel, rebounding from going winless in conference play in 2018.

However, the program is still a work in progress on the offensive end. Pittsburgh has struggled on offense, ranking 13th in the conference with 65.5 points per game. The best performance the Panthers offense has put together to date in a conference game is an unimpressive 74-point outing versus Boston College.

Pittsburgh has been markedly inefficient too, shooting only 40.6% from the field and 29.2% from three. One of the lone bright spots has been freshman guard Justin Champagnie, who averages 12.3 points per game.

Defensively, the Panthers have been nothing short of impressive, giving up a stingy 64.4 points per game. Pittsburgh has held its opponents to a meager 42.3% shooting from the field, but opponents have shot 34.1% from three, the third highest in the ACC. The Panthers have the highest turnover margin in the ACC at +3.61 per game, and force an average of 15.4 turnovers per game. This fast-

paced style is similar to NC State head coach Kevin Keatts’ game plan, and this should lead to an exciting up-and-down affair for 40 minutes.

Just one week ago, the Wolfpack was riding a wave of momentum after a monumental 22-point win over No. 7 Duke at PNC. With wins against Duke, Wisconsin, at Virginia and at UNCGreensboro, NC State had put itself in position to be in the NCAA Tournament.

However, after the most recent losses to No. 8 Florida State and at UNC, things are looking dicey. The Wolfpack has been swept by both UNC and Georgia Tech, both bottom-tier teams in the conference, in addition to a loss at Boston College.

With three games left on the schedule, NC State’s season hangs in the balance.

With a NET ranking of just 57, the Wolfpack is likely to be left out. Saturday’s game against Pittsburgh could be pivotal for the rest of the season, as NC State needs to turn things around if they hope to play in the tournament for the second time in three seasons. With not much time to fix things before the ACC tournament this March and the pressure the highest it’s been all season, Saturday’s matchup is both exciting and crucial for the rest of the season.

The game will tip off at noon on Saturday at PNC Arena, and will be televised on the ACC Network. Follow us @TechSports on Twitter for live game updates and recaps.

ADITYA PENUMARTI/TECHNICIAN

Redshirt junior guard Devon Daniels drives to the basket versus No. 8 Florida State Saturday, Feb. 22, 2020 at PNC Arena. Daniels had 18 points and nine rebounds in the 6761 loss.

ADITYA PENUMARTI/TECHNICIAN

Sophomore forward Jericole Hellems dunks on a fast break against Florida State Saturday, Feb. 22, 2020 at PNC Arena. Hellems had 14 points and seven rebounds in the 67-61 loss.

FOR RELEASE FEBRUARY 27, 2020

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TECHNICIAN 15

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Los Angeles Times Daily Crossword Puzzle Edited by Rich Norris and Joyce Lewis

ACROSS 1 Ottoman bigwigs 5 Wildly 9 Peaks 14 At hand 15 Animated explorer 16 Patterned fabric 17 Authentic piece of a holy relic?

19 Comedian Izzard 20 Sound investments?

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60 Red-pencil 61 December 24 and 31 62 “At Last” singer James 63 Georgia team, in sports headlines 64 Take a chance 65 Hoarse laugh

2/27/20

By Debra Hamel

3 Chills and fever 4 Tibetan leaders 5 Specially formed 6 Saskatchewan city with a 34-foot animal statue named Mac at its tourist info center 7 NHL great Bobby 8 Dodge City native 9 “Up and __!”

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2 Structural 30 First words in an engineering piece alphabet book

Wednesday’s Puzzle Solved

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32 Largest of New York’s Finger Lakes 34 Tart taste 35 Mega Stuf cookie 37 Great Basin st.

38 One may be civil 41 Message board item 42 South, in Avignon 43 Local news segment

2/27/20

45 Settled in for the night, with “down” 46 Surfeit 47 Fluted on the march 48 Jungian inner self 50 Momentary error 52 Fades to black 54 Bit 55 Stops shooting 56 “Stat!”

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Solution to Wednesday’s puzzle

2/27/20 Complete the